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The final game

Former North Dakota State University quarterback Brock Jensen reflects on his final championship experience

November 10, 2014 2:17pm

By Brock Jensen, as told to Kate Newmeyer

Jensen and the Bison took on Towson University in the Division I Football Championship Game, which was held on Jan. 4, 2014 in Frisco, Texas. It was the final game of his college career:

By the time my alarm went off at 8 a.m., I was already awake with a stomach full of butterflies. That is the worst time for me, the early mornings when my nerves are the strongest.

When we pulled up to the stadium, all I could see was green and gold. We walked through a tunnel of fans that stretched at least a hundred yards; the whole area was electric.

In the locker room, I enjoyed a few moments of quiet to reflect on what this team, this season and this game meant to me. I was soon joined by the team as our coach shared inspirational words. The excitement and anticipation rose as he left to allow our captains to speak. They recalled the hard work we invested in weight training and practice, the sacrifices we made, the bonds we formed and the fast approaching end of an era for the senior class.

It was finally go time as we stormed out towards the sea of Bison faithful. As the national anthem played, I was emotional, realizing this was my last day in a Bison uniform.

Before I knew it, we had a big lead in the fourth quarter. I stood on the sidelines with some of the other seniors; we joked and laughed, hugging each other in the bittersweet final moments as the clock wound down.

There is nothing that compares to the moment on stage with my teammates, hoisting the national championship trophy with confetti falling around us. Fans rushed to the field to join us, celebrating the end of a perfect season.

It was a surreal feeling in the locker room after the game. We had done it. Our perfect season had come and gone; festivities with our families and friends back at school would follow.

Kristin Fasbender never took part in a national championship as a student-athlete, but she made a career out of coordinating them. She is now in her 15th year as a member of the NCAA championships group.

Jeff Martin, a track and field assistant coach at Indiana State University, is tasked with overseeing the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships and shares the joys and trials of hosting an NCAA championship.